This invention relates to a solderless connector.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional solderless connector 28 which has been disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 60-138266, and which includes a connector housing 11, and insulation displacement terminals 12, to which electrical wires are connected. The connector housing 11 has terminal accommodating chambers 13, and a top wall 29 whose rear half has an opening 30 so that the terminal accommodating chambers 13 can be accessed. The insulation displacement terminals 12 are placed in respective ones of the terminal accommodating chambers 13, to which respective ones of the electrical wires 16 are connected by pressure, respectively.
The assembling of the solderless connector will become more apparent from FIG. 6, a perspective view showing essential components of the solderless connector. The insulation displacement terminal 12 is a female insulation displacement terminal which is formed as follows. First, a base plate 14 is formed by blanking a piece of electrically conductive metal plate, and then it is bent as follows: The front end portion of the base plate 14 is inserted into an elastic electrical contact part 15 which merges with a wire insulation displacement part 17. The wire insulation displacement part 17 is substantially inverted-U-shaped, and has a slot 17a into which the conductors 16b of the electrical wire are press-fitted with its cover 16a cut. The wire insulation displacement part 17 merges with the rear end portion of the insulation displacement terminal which is formed into a wire clamping part 18. A jig (not shown) is used to push the wire 16 into the wire insulation displacement part 17 from above.
The conventional solderless terminal is disadvantageous for the following reasons Where the wire is large in diameter, as shown in FIG. 7, the inverted-U-shaped wire insulation displacement part 17 is spread when pushed, as a result of which the wire is not pushed sufficiently into the slot 17a. At the same time, the insulation displacement terminal 12 is increased in length, to extend from the terminal accommodating chamber 13, thus causing a short-circuit. The deformation of the wire insulation displacement part 17 may be prevented by increasing the thickness of the insulation displacement terminal 12. However, then it would be necessary to increase the force of insertion of the mating terminal (or male tab terminal (not shown)) correspondingly, impairing the operability of the connector.